Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-06-25
SCIENTIFIC DRESSES.
FEMININE Adjournment Reduced 70
Mathematical Exactness.

Feminine Adornment Reduced 70
Mathematical Exactness.
From the London Standard
Our grandmothers would have been puzzled II
they had heard or read OF scientific dress" That
science and art should have any influence on the
"hang OF q skirt or the "ser" OF q bodice would
have been 70 them a novel Idea indeed; and the
manIua-maker OF their time would have looked
| aoundantly bewiidered had any OF her customers
ordered scientific sleeve or a bodice constructed
| on mathematical principles.
In our privileged age not only science and ART,
put renglon Itself. concern themselves in woman's
dTeSs. The exhibits recently displayed at the
Marlborough Rooms went far TO prove that mathe.
maticaI principles adapted to costume and based
upon fundamental knowledge OF anatomy pro-
duce an artistic result The show was divided into
several sections, the largest and most important
OF which was that OF the amateur dressnakers,
whose competitions filed the whole OF very
large room. The directors or the ASSOCIATION Of
Tered gold medal and silver, carrying with them
respectively situations worth flO0 and ESQ per
mum. Among the rest, three dresses were remarked
as being particularly well designed One was q
brown ottoman, the SKIRT Of which was skillfully
naturally as though one had gathered them
was vest OF brocaded plush in the front
OF the bodice, across which met small folded
scarves OF the ottoman. The excellence
OF dnish displayed In the niceties Of these folds
and In the details Of the basque was much COM
mented on by the thousands OF visitors who
thronged the rooms. Another dress in which q
good idea was consistently carried out was in
back cashmere with loose blouse front or SOFT
black silk, Small tabs OF the cashmere we're but
toned over this, one from right to left, the other
Ing good fastening without undue strain on the
solitary button. Here again. the folds OF the skirt
were admirable, none being unaccounted for, and
all being arranged with an evident regard to the
outline OF the human form. There was none Of
that bullying at the knees or protrusion below
them, which is too often characteristic OF the
| 1rp2Srnakerl
satin dress elaOOrately trimmed with Jet in the
same tint, there was nothing suggestive OF the
amateur, unless we take the word In its original
sense and adopt ii as meaning lover or ones ert.
That crucial test OF capacity, the settngn Of the
sleeve here gave no sign OF the absence OF the pro-
fessional touch. Among other meritOrioUs gowns
In this section were gray cashmere, in which the
mingled simplicity and grace OF the skirt We're adj
miraDle; brown cloth trimmed with striped vel
vet good In cut and in style: a neat tailor-made
gray tweed; and blue dress turned up win tar
tan velvet and made with high 'gorget" collar.
Rather too ambitious was trained dinner dress In
gray ottoman and plush with draperieS Of beaded
net. well-deSgned yachting costume OF navy
blue cloth, made with blouse OF white flannel,
would have won more SURFACES had not the dress
maker who produced IL added the Inappropriate
trivialty Of sse fr1ng to the neck and sleeves OF
an aquatic frock. Can any one imagine mer-
maid with pleated ruffles? Old Neptune would be
very harsh with such decorations, and in his do
minions, flannel and serge are probably "the only
wear" save fins and tails and floating hair.
The section devoted 10 amateur millinery was
less satisfactory than that Of dreSSmakiDg, the
and hats in many cases suffering from the dis
advantage OF cheap materials. 1t is impossible to
produce good effect in either dress or head gear
with inferior fabrics, and there ought to be no
such things as cheap feathers or cheap flowers.
These cannot In any way be considered useful,
and they are decidedly not ornamental The Sec
ton devoted to chlldren'S dresses, and open TO
amateur competitors, seemed TO attract the bulk
or the sightseers A cashmere blouse in bright
tone OF terra Gotta was sInOcked on the shoulders
and round the wrists. This sensible style or dress
looks 10 disadvantage on stand, needing the
round limbs OF childhood to illustrate Its good
points Possibly for this reason it was voted
era A very elaborate little gown with
nand-painted fRn' Of white ,, satin seemed
children would feel wretched in IT, being warned
by nurses and governesses that the slightest strain
The pearls, too, that were introduced, tasselwise
as decorations only added to the chances OF acct
dent, TO be followed by reproacnes II not by shak-
tngS. A cream-cOOred merinO with IaclngS Of
surah was Well cut ana well finished Another,
made OF white lace and lined with pink, was
pretty, but rather suggestive OF an old-rashioned
dressing table There was but a score OF exhibits
in this section. DreSsmakerS who do not make
special study Of chlldrens clothes are never WILL
dren have "such odd little shapes" Being accds-
TONED to WORK for figures that have been more or
less distorted by compression, they fail TO under
stand the forms OF Natures own shaping.
Some excellent gowcS were shown In the section
devoted TO professional dressmakers, notably a
ta1lor-made Costume in brown tweed, a half
mourning dress in which the draping OF the skirt
was very good, and Il walking dress also well
thought out. Greek dress looked very uncOm-
Portable on a wire-5tand, needing arms and a neck
at least for favorable display. The buttons on the
shoulders were by no I1ednS orthodox. The folds
were not correctly grouped round them. and in
stead of buttoning upon them, as they ought TO
have done, all liked by stitches, even the but
tons themselves being sewn on. or the scientific
dressed dolls" open to competitors under eighteen
only one appeaTed-a magnificent creature from
Lowther Arcadia, VINO Will probably have a ''walk-
over TOr the prize OF a guinel. An entire Sec
mar nf
OF Irish manufacture. Poplin was naturally the
favored material In this class. A dress Of
this fabric In the shade OF green known as
.'nnfgnOnette,' was cOnScientiOu,ly made. A
brown one was more elaborate but one failed to
understand why the front or the skirt should
have been shocked at the knees. This would
make sitting rather uncomfortable business, but,
walking DRESS 1t may not have been meant TO SIT
down In. special prize In this class was offered
by the prOpreJOrS OF the irish Textile Journal for
the best dress made OF Irish linen for summer
wear, the style OF makeup and material TO be
studied with view 10 minimize the cost OF laun-
drying" In one OF the competitive cambria gowns
there was most ingenious device whereby the
tine back could be released by a touch. BY this
means the skirt could ali be opened out Hat for
ironing purposes, and the pleatS could easily be
replaced again In their previous position The idea
IS one likely 10 take, more eS ,eclally as the
whole style OF the dress Is improved by it, Had IL
been carried out so thoroughly as TO include the
bodice iJ would have been yet more commendabIe
ceSsru and IL as projected, IL becomes an annual
one, IL Is likely TO promote that skill in dress
making OF which some few years ago We were as
a nation proverbially destitute.